Smart Grid Blog

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced more than $3.2 million in federal funds for two Ohio smart grid workforce training programs. The funds, distributed through the U.S. Department of Energy, will be used to train electrical engineers and other members of the industry in the development and application of smart electrical grid technology. “Through our Continue reading →

A recent USA Today report on (many) states’ failure to meet their renewable energy goals highlights a number of issues, one of which being the value of setting standards for a national clean energy infrastructure (“smart grid”). Without such standards, the likelihood of energy inefficiency is greater and the risk of investing in green technology Continue reading →

After health care reform, the next big fight in Washington will be about energy. Spending on health care is now about 18 percent of gross domestic product, while energy spending is about 10 percent — both in the trillions of dollars, which used to be a lot of money. There are several driving factors contributing Continue reading →

When it rains, it often pours. That’s certainly the case now, as the U.S. Department of Energy, the states of Illinois and Colorado, and an Austrian utility all announced in recent days that they will invest many millions of dollars to create recharging networks for electric vehicles. That’s wonderful news, because it brings electric-vehicle makers Continue reading →

The U.S. electric utility industry faces the greatest challenge in its history. The demand for electric services to meet the needs of our growing population and to power our increasingly digital and connected economy continues to rise. At the same time, high demand for commodities such as steel and cement is causing cost increases for Continue reading →

… Obama has already taken several whacks at waste in energy and health care. His stimulus had over $20 billion for energy-efficiency measures designed to slash electricity use in low-income homes, military bases and all kinds of government buildings, while his fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles are expected to save billions of gallons of gasoline; he’s Continue reading →

The American electric grid is an engineering marvel, arguably the single largest and most complex machine in the world. It’s also 40 years old and so rickety that power interruptions and blackouts cost the economy some $150 billion a year. The idea of building a connected “smart” grid that can route power intelligently is beyond Continue reading →

Concepts like “smart grids” and “intelligent metering” are difficult for the non-expert brain to grasp. So instead, wrap your mind around a simpler set of facts. Utilities experience peak demand — for example, on blistering hot days when air conditioners are pumping all out — just 2% of the year. Yet to serve their customers Continue reading →

The DOE has issued its official funding opportunity announcement for about $3.9 billion in stimulus package grants for smart grid projects. Security for smart grid systems is among its top concerns. The Department of Energy has issued its long-awaited guidelines for utilities and companies hoping to get a piece of the multibillion-dollar smart grid stimulus Continue reading →

Duke Energy says its experiment with Smart Grid technology at the McAlpine Creek Switching Station has already proved the advanced technology can improve service. In December, the company found an outage involving five of the 16,000 customers served by the substation before the customers were aware they’re power was out. For three of them, the Continue reading →

Xcel Energy’s “SmartGridCity” project in Boulder is using Qwest’s lines to carry power usage data from neighborhoods back to Xcel’s offices, and the telecom is looking to offer its expertise in the emerging niche to other utilities. The SmartGridCity project is the nation’s first attempt on a citywide scale to turn an electrical power grid Continue reading →

This week, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District is set to take its first step toward what promises to be the most significant development in electricity in a century: the “smart” grid. Thursday, the SMUD board is scheduled to approve a 30-month rollout of 620,000 meters for the Internet age. Instead of today’s “dumb” odometer-style counters, Continue reading →

Revolutionary energy storage technology selected top ‘Smart Grid Initiative’ by attendees at Connectivity Week WINDSOR, Colo., June 15 /PRNewswire/ — Ice Energy, a leading provider of distributed energy storage and smart grid solutions for optimizing energy system efficiency and improving grid reliability, has been honored with a Buildy Award for best “Smart Grid Initiative” at Continue reading →

AROUND the world billions of dollars are being invested in clean-energy technologies of one sort or another, from solar arrays and wind turbines to electric cars. But there is a problem lurking in the power grid that links them together. Green sources of power tend to be distributed and intermittent, which makes them difficult to Continue reading →

WASHINGTON – President Obama today announced over $467 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to expand and accelerate the development, deployment, and use of geothermal and solar energy throughout the United States.  The funding announced today represents a substantial down payment that will help the solar and geothermal industries overcome technical barriers, demonstrate Continue reading →

A four-part audio podcast series about the smart grid can be found linked from this article. If demand on today’s electrical grid looks like a rough landscape of high peaks and low valleys, demand on tomorrow’s “smart grid” will look more like a series of rolling hills. The electricity systems of developed countries are astoundingly Continue reading →

Numbers, history and technology are on a collision course inside your home. Consider the numbers: The big picture points to an even bigger opportunity for smart system design that can reduce power in and out of the chip. Since 1982, growth in peak demand for electricity has exceeded transmission growth by almost 25% every year. Continue reading →

Smart meters will play a central role in delivering an energy infrastructure fit for the 21st Century, says Stephen Cunningham. In this week’s Green Room, he argues why he believes the technology will help deliver the necessary carbon saving needed to prevent dangerous climate change. If time waits for no man, climate change is even Continue reading →